This report moved the critique of gender violence into a new domain of behavior, that of sexuality and its regulation, and challenged cultural practices considered acceptable by at least some members of many societies. The report discussed a variety of practices in the family that are violent towards women and harmful to their health such as female genital mutilation, honor killings, pledging of daughters to temples at an early age to be sex workers or handmaidens of gods (the devadasi system in India and similar systems in Nepal, Benin, Nigeria, Togo, and Ghana), witch hunting (found mainly in Asia and Africa), caste-based discrimination and violence, early and forced marriage, marital rape, discriminatory laws, son preference, restrictive practices such as foot binding and veiling, and images of beauty that emphasize thinness, a widespread problem in the West. The report argues that these cultural practices harmful to women's human rights to bodily integrity and expression have avoided national and international scrutiny "because they are seen as cultural practices that deserve tolerance and respect. " "Cultural relativism, " she asserts, "is often used as an excuse to permit inhumane and discriminatory practices against women in the community despite clear provisions in many human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, in accordance with which States parties shall take all appropriate measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women " (art.5) (E/CN.4/2002/83: page 3). Coomaraswamy asserted that all cultures have such practices and that many focus on the regulation of female sexuality.
